The Dawning Dream Setting

Blood Hunter

In a landscape tormented by all manner of beasts, devils, and abominations from beyond the veil, most live in fear of the dark, of superstition, and of the unknown. Some grow hardened by this experience, instead choosing to stand up and fight against the tide of shadow. These folk are called ‘heroes’.
Some, however, are so fanatical and bent on destroying the anathema that plagues the countryside that they embrace dark, forbidden knowledge. They sacrifice some of their own vital force in dubious, forgotten blood rituals to better understand their enemies. Their methods sometimes blur the line between themselves and the evils they hunt, calling their own humanity into question.
These folk are called ‘Blood Hunters’.

Become the Enemy to Understand the Enemy

These warriors have chosen to merge the martial pursuit of deadly weapon play with elements of vicious blood magic to create impressively effective combat techniques. They surrender their own vitality to form a bond with their weapon, allowing them to harness the elements in a whirlwind of dangerous strikes. Their deep knowledge and unnatural connection with wicked creatures allows them an advantage in tracking, hunting, and destroying even the most resilient of abhorrent fiends. By mastering control over their own lifeblood and the lifeblood of others, they gain insight into their foes and the ability to manipulate them from the inside.
Some brew crude, poisonous alchemical tonics from the harvested organs of felled monsters, mutating their blood and bodies to be even further in tune with their quarry, becoming something other than human themselves. Others go further, reaching out and making a pact with lesser dark entities in hopes of using their grim gifts against greater evils. Many blood hunters push too far for their goals, falling to their own hubris and becoming the monsters they’ve chosen to hunt. This is the greatest fear of a blood hunter, and of the societies at large that shun them.

The Blood Hunter

Level

Proficiency Bonus

Crimson Rite Damage Die

Features

Blood Curses Known

1st

+2

1d4

Hunter’s Bane, Crimson Rite

-

2nd

+2

1d4

Fighting Style

-

3rd

+2

1d4

Blood Hunter Order

-

4th

+2

1d4

Ability Score Improvement

-

5th

+3

1d6

Extra Attack

-

6th

+3

1d6

Blood Maledict (2/rest)

2

7th

+3

1d6

Order Feature

2

8th

+3

1d6

Ability Score Increase

2

9th

+4

1d8

Grim Psychometry

2

10th

+4

1d8

Order Feature

3

11th

+4

1d8

Dark Velocty, Blood Maledict (3/rest)

3

12th

+4

1d8

Ability Score Increase

3

13th

+5

1d10

-

3

14th

+5

1d10

Hardened Soul

4

15th

+5

1d10

Order Feature

4

16th

+5

1d10

Ability Score Improvement

4

17th

+6

1d12

Enduring Form, Blood Maledict (4/rest)

4

18th

+6

1d12

Order Feature

5

19th

+6

1d12

Ability Score Improvement

5

20th

+6

1d12

Sanguine Mastery

5

Creating a Blood Hunter

As you create your blood hunter, keep in mind how your character relates to society and why they have taken to a life of monster hunting. Do they wish to protect society and as such have paid the ultimate price? Do they have a family they wish to protect at all costs? Did they make a mistake that cost them greatly, and they wish to make amends for their folly? Or are they bent on vengeance for some past wound or loss that drove them to choose this dark warrior’s path? While a blood hunter begins their journey alone, they also acknowledge the strength in numbers and the benefits of trusted companions. Many blood hunters keep allies to both ensure that they succeed at their hunts, and to keep a watchful eye to prevent them from losing touch with their humanity. A blood hunter without conviction is lost. and often an honest friend is enough to keep them from straying.

Quick Build

You can make a blood hunter quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your
highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on melee weapons, or ranged and finesse weapons. Make Wisdom your next highest if you plan to focus on the potency of blood curses and mystical power. Choose a higher Constitution next if you wish to use Crimson Rite on multiple weapons or want to have extra hit points to burn on amplifying blood curses.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition
to the equipment granted by your background:

(a) a martial weapon or (b) two simple weapons

(a) a light crossbow or (b) hand crossbow

(a) studded leather armor or (b) scale mail armor an explorer’s pack

Hunter’s Bane

You gain the strong effects of the Hunter’s Bane.
Upon reaching 11th level, you gain advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks and Charisma (Intimidation) checks as your unsettling nature further develops, lending you an edge when testing the composure and will of others.

Crimson Rite

At 1st level, you learn to invoke a rite of blood magic within your weapon at the cost of your own vitality. Choose to learn one rite from the Primal Rites list below. You cannot change this choice.
As a bonus action, you imbue a single weapon with the elemental energy of a known rite for up to 8 hours. While active, attacks from this weapon deal an additional 1d4 rite damage of the chosen elemental type. Rite damage is considered magical. The rite damage die changes as you gain blood hunter levels, as shown in the crimson rite damage die column of the blood hunter table. Should your weapon leave your grip, the rite fades immediately. An active rite on a weapon thrown fades directly after the attack is complete.
When a crimson rite is activated, it reduces your maximum hit points a number equal to your character level. These lost maximum hit points return once the rite fades and cannot be restored otherwise. When a rite fades, no hit points are regained as part of the restoring of maximum hit points.
Crimson rite can be used on multiple weapons, costing additional hit point loss. Most weapons can only be subject to a single rite at any given time. Each end of a polearm or quarterstaff is treated as a separate weapon for the purposes of this feature. A rite can be allowed to fade at any time (no action required).
You gain access to an additional Primal Rite at 6th level and 11th level. You may learn an Esoteric Rite at 14th level.

PRIMALRITES
Choose from the following:
Rite of the Flame. Your rite damage is fire type.
Rite of the Frozen, Your rite damage is cold type.
Rite of the Storm. Your rite damage is lightning type.ESOTERICRITES
Choose from the following:
Rite of the Roar. Your rite damage is thunder type.
Rite of the Oracle. Your rite damage is psychic type.
Rite of the Dead. Your rite damage is necrotic type.

Fighting Styles

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty.
Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

ARCHERY
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

DUELING
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

GREATWEAPONFIGHTING
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a non-rite damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can re-roll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

TWO-WEAPONFIGHTING
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

There are a handful of secretive orders of blood hunters that guard their cryptic techniques and blasphemous rituals. One must adhere to one of these orders to even be granted access to the Hunter’s Bane rite that starts their journey, and only once they’ve proven their ability will the secrets of the order begin to be revealed. Some even wait a few years before they are sure they want to continue down this cursed path. Either or, it’s within these small , enigmatic sects that the real power of a blood hunter is learned.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Blood Maledict

At 6th level, you gain the knowledge to further channel, and sacrifice, a part of your vital essence to curse and manipulate your enemies. You gain two blood curses of your choice. detailed in the “blood curses” section below. You learn one additional blood curse of your choice at 10th, 14th, and 18th level.
When you use your Blood Maledict, you choose which curse to invoke. While invoking a blood curse, but before it affects the target, you may choose to amplify the curse by suffering damage equal to your crimson rite damage die. An amplified curse gains an additional effect, noted in the curse’s description. Creatures that do not have blood in their bodies are immune to blood curses (DM’s discretion).
After you use this feature to invoke two blood curses, you must then finish a short or long rest to use your Blood Maledict to invoke your two blood curses again.
Beginning at 11th level, you can use your Blood Maledict to invoke three blood curses between rests, and beginning at 17th level, you can use it four times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses.

Blood Curses

The blood curses are presented in alphabetical order. Blood Curse of Binding. As a bonus action, you can attempt to bind an enemy no more than one size larger than you within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus+ your Wisdom modifier) or have their speed be reduced to 0 until the beginning of your next turn. Amplify. This curse becomes ongoing, and can affect a creature no more than two sizes larger than you. At the end of each of its turns, the cursed can make another Strength saving throw. On a success, this curse ends. You can end the curse whenever you like (no action required)Blood Curse of the Eyeless. As a bonus action, you can cloud the vision of a creature within 30 feet, imposing disadvantage on their next attack.Amplify. The cursed suffers disadvantage on all of their attacks until the beginning of your next turn.Blood Curse of the Fallen Puppet. The moment a creature falls unconscious or dies within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to give that creature a final act of aggression. That creature can immediately make a single weapon attack against a target of your choice within its attack range. After the attack, the creature returns to being unconscious or dead.Amplify. You grant a bonus to the attack roll and damage roll of the cursed creature’s attack equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).Blood Curse of the Fending Rite. When an enemy casts a spell, you can use your reaction to deflect the spell with your crimson rite. You gain a bonus to the initial saving throw against that spell equal to your Wisdom Modifier (minimum of 1). This curse is invoked before the saving throw is rolled.Amplify. You grant all allies within 5 feet of you this bonus to their saving throw against the triggering spell as well.Blood Curse of the Marked. As a bonus action, you can mark an enemy within 30 feet. Until the end of your turn, all crimson rite damage you deal to the target is doubled.Amplify. You cause the marked target to also lose resistance to your rite damage type until the beginning of your next turn.Blood Curse of Mutual Suffering. As a bonus action, you can link to a creature within 30 feet, forcing them to
share in any pain they inflict upon you. Each time the cursed creature damages you, this curse deals necrotic damage to the cursed creature equal to half of the damage you suffered. This curse lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).Amplify. You double the duration of this curse, and this curse’s damage ignores Necrotic resistance.Blood Curse of Spell Sunder. When an enemy casts a spell within 30 feet that requires a spell attack roll and
targets you, you can use your reaction to rend the spell from the air, imposing disadvantage on the spell attack roll.Amplify. You make a Wisdom ability check. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, the creature’s
spell is dispelled entirely.Blood Curse of the Transfusion. As a bonus action, you can curse your own vitality, tearing some of it forth
and transfering it to an ally in need. You take 2d6 points of damage, and a living creature you choose within 30 feet regains a number of hit points equal to that amount plus your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). This damage increases as you gain levels: 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at
17th level.Amplify. Your target regains additional hit points equal to twice the amplify damage roll.

Grim Psychometry

When you reach 9th level, you can take 10 minutes to meditate on an object to discern vague details regarding any lingering evil or wicked pas t surrounding it. Make a Wisdom ability check. Based on the result, the DM may reveal obscure information about dark events that may have previously surrounded the object, or hints toward a sinister purpose. This feature has no effect on objects untouched by evil. An object can only be targeted by this feature once, and future attempts reveal no further details.

Dark Velocity

Upon reaching 11th level, you beckon the surrounding shadows to grant you unnatural swiftness on the battlefield.
While in dim light or darkness, your speed increases by 10 feet, and attacks of opportunity made against you have disadvantage.

Hardened Soul

When you reach 14th level, you can no longer become Frightened, and you have advantage on saving throws against magical Charm effects.

Enduring Form

When you reach 17th level, while you are unconscious, you can spend two hit dice to re-roll a death saving throw once per turn.

Sanguine Mastery

Upon becoming 20th level, your crimson rite is perfected, no longer requiring visceral sacrilege. When you have an active crimson rite, you no longer reduce your maximum hit points and you take no damage when amplifying blood curses.
In addition, when you are below one fourth of your current maximum hit points and conscious, all of your crimson rite damage dice are maximized.